Nindo
by TheLastYamanaka
Summary: Naruto asks his teammate a question and finds out more than he bargained for.


**AN: Re-upload from my other account which I no longer use. Just a bit of experimenting. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Sakura-chan… can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"What's your nindo?"

"Um, I don't know. Haven't thought about it yet."

"Really? But we're Genin now, we're fully fledged shinobi!"

"We haven't even done our first assignment yet, Naruto-"

"Yeah, but you've got to have a nindo."

"Already? What's the big deal?"

"It's everything! Oh come on, don't you have something you want to live your life for?"

"Well… yeah, I guess. Lots of things."

"Then you should choose a nindo!"

"But why is it so important to do it right _now?_ We just graduated."

"Because it is something that helps you become… well, _you_. It's the most important thing you can ever have, the one thing that truly makes you happy to keep being _you_, and without it you are lost. A ninja can't live without his nindo."

"What's yours then?"

"To never give up! And one day that'll help me become Hokage. I'll work my hardest to become a chunin and then a jonin fast so that everyone in the village will respect me."

"That's a really big dream."

"Yeah, but I won't stop 'til I make it come true. The other part of my nindo is to never go back on my word. So there you have it, you're speaking to the future Hokage of Konoha!"

xxxxx

* * *

"Did you figure it out? Have you decided yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Why not? You know, even that lazy ass Shikamaru has one. So does Kiba, and Ino, and Chouji-"

"Ino does? What's hers?"

"How am I supposed to know? Go ask her... Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm not like you, Naruto. I can't just say I'll do something and make it happen. When you guys were fighting against Zabuza and Haku, I couldn't do a thing. How am I supposed to keep to a nindo if I freeze up during a mission like that?"

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. That was only our first one. Remember when Sasuke made fun of me when we were ambushed? I'd completely freaked out too, but you can't let that hold you back. You should just try harder next time."

"Naruto… do you really think I can catch up to you and Sasuke-kun?"

"Of course! Well, Sasuke at least. _My_ level will be a lot harder to reach, but you can do it, Sakura-chan! And you'll know when the time comes you'll be able to. Don't worry, your nindo will _never_ fail you."

"Thanks, Naruto."

"No problem. But you better hurry up with it or you'll be left behind!"

xxxxx

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should never have forced you to make that promise."

"Don't worry about it, I'm okay! Just a few more days and I'll be out of this hospital. Pervy Sage is going to train me and then I'll bring Sasuke back, I swear!"

"Naruto-"

"Don't cry, Sakura-chan. You know I never go back on my word and I won't give up on that promise, no matter what happens. That is my nindo!"

"But next time I'm coming with you. We'll do it together. I've decided then, my nindo is to bring Sasuke-kun back with you."

"…"

"What are you laughing at?"

"That's not a nindo, Sakura-chan."

"What do you mean?"

"What will happen _after_ we bring Sasuke back to the village? Then you'll have no ninja way! Your nindo is not just a test, it never leaves you. You still don't get it. It's there to make you a stronger person and motivates you to keep aiming higher. That's like me saying mine is to eat ten bowls of ramen for dinner tonight."

"Not even _you_ can finish ten bowls of ramen."

"Yes I can! As a matter of fact, I can do fifteen."

"Can not."

"Can too! Ask Pervy Sage!"

xxxxx

* * *

"Naruto, remember when we first became genin and you asked me what my nindo was?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well, I think… it might be-"

"No!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"What are you on about then? Don't do that, Naruto!"

"Sorry. But stop there, Sakura-chan, don't say more."

"Why? You've been asking me this for almost three years and now you _don't_ want to hear what my nindo is?"

"No, it's not like that. I do. But it's just that you haven't found it yet."

"But I just said... How do you know?"

"Because you are unsure. You think you have found it which is not the same as _knowing _it. Your nindo is the one thing you know best, it is a part of you. When you discover it, you don't think it, but _know_ it."

"You make everything sound so dramatic, Naruto."

"Hehe, yeah, but this is. You'll understand when the time comes. You'll just… know."

xxxxx

* * *

"Why do you keep doing it, Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Loving me. Chasing after me. Protecting me, saving me. Why?"

"You know why, Sakura-chan."

"It's because of your nindo, right?"

"Yep. I'll always be there for you no, matter what. I'll never give up on you."

"Well, I've finally realized mine too."

"You have? Okay then, what is it?"

"You."

"..."

"..."

"...Nawwww, don't poke fun, Sakura-chan. I was being serious!"

"So was I."

"W-what?"

"Now I know why I was never able to create one before, because it was right in front of me all along. You told me that it is something that helps you become you and that it is the most important thing in your life. I guess I've known for a while..."

"What… what are you saying?"

"There is only one one man that truly makes me happy. He is the reason I am me today, and without him I am lost.

I know he will never fail me or leave me. He changed me and helped me become a stronger person, motivating me to keep aiming at bettering myself.

It took me years to realize it, but when it did hit me, I couldn't describe how it felt. I just _knew_.

You said it back then, when we first became members of Squad 7. A ninja can't live without his nindo. So I guess what I'm saying is… I'm in love with you, Naruto."

"...You… you really mean all that? Sakura-chan, I- mphf!"

"…"

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you have the time. 'Til next time!**


End file.
